History

All the Pretty Little Horses 30” by 40” Acrylic on canvas. C 2006.

The lullaby All the Pretty Little Horses has been sung to children in the US since the 1800s. It was collected in the 1920s and the 1934 version collected by Alan Lomax is the basis for my painting and lyrics. The Bridge has ominous lyrics that are usually left off: “Way down yonder, down in the meadow; There's a poor wee little lamby. The bees and the butterflies pickin' at its eyes; The poor wee thing cried for her mammy.”

My painting is set in the clouds in the dream world of the little baby. From an impossible object in the center spring saucers (even one flying saucer!) that become the piece of cake with a candle and fork illusions. The pretty little horses on the right disappear and form the baby’s face while the butterflies turn into the baby’s face.

This was the first painting of the Bluegrass Series, which are traditional American Songs with the lyrics painted on the canvas.